On July 20, the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs and the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resouces announced that 165 organizations across the Commonwealth will receive a total of $22.6 million in grant funding through the Food Security Infrastructure Grants (FSIG) program.
In our State Senate district, 21 organizations received awards, totaling to $3,310,467.95!
These organizations include farms, dairies, food pantries, a food cooperative, a food producer, and a community kitchen – all ensuring that people around western Massachusetts and throughout the Commonwealth have access to nutritious, local food.
The FSIG program grew out of the state’s Food Security Task Force, which began during COVID as a multi-agency initiative to tackle food security. I was glad to serve on the subcommittee that recommended the creation of this program. FSIG’s goal is to strengthen our entire food system. It’s one of the most strategic and most sought after grants that the state offers – and the legislature has funded year after year.
The complete list of awardees from our district is included below:
| Awardee | Project Summary | Grant Award | Community |
| The Farm School | Award will be used to upgrade systems and infrastructure to create a food storage, processing, and distribution center | $ 383,725.00 | Athol |
| Adams Farm | Award will be used to add a holding pen and a remote montioring system in order to expand processing capacity | $ 84,365.00 | Athol |
| Antonellis Farm LLC | Award will be used to build a wash, pack, and storage building to increase production and food safety | $ 500,000.00 | Deerfield |
| Crimson & Clover Farm | Award will be used to purchase a refrigerated van to increase distribution network | $ 87,400.00 | Florence |
| Reed Farm | Award will be used to purchase a brooder to increase efficiency in production | $ 285,777.31 | Greenfield |
| Just Roots, Inc. | Applicant seeks fund to transform an old barn structure into a food hub | $ 170,413.91 | Greenfield |
| River Valley Farm | Award will be used to upgrade irrigation and water source to make production more effective and efficient | $ 50,193.72 | Leverett |
| Bree-Z-Knoll Farm, LLC | Award will be used to purchase a refrigerated truck to increase production. | $ 108,750.00 | Leyden |
| Coolidge Hill Farm | Award will be used to purchase a tractor and install irrigation to increase production and distribution | $ 55,649.16 | New Salem |
| Survival Centers Inc., dba. Amherst Survival Center | Award will be used to purchase and install equipment to increase their food storage capacity | $ 133,222.00 | Amherst |
| Northampton Survival Center | Award will be used to purchase a van and cold storage to expand their mobile food distribution program. | $ 72,363.14 | Northampton |
| Quabbin Harvest Food Corp | Award will be used to upgrade storage and operation capacity to keep up with growing demand | $ 64,853.00 | Orange |
| Free Living Farm | Award will be used to purchase a delivery van to meet the growing needs of their customers. | $ 55,670.00 | Petersham |
| Divoli’s Farm | Award will be used to purchase cold sotrage to increase
storage and production capabilities |
$ 37,648.71 | Royalston |
| Riverland Farm | Award will be used to install irrigation and season extending equipment to increase production | $ 57,027.00 | Sunderland |
| Laurenitis Farm | Award will be used to purchase greenhouses to expand
growing season |
$ 39,235.00 | Sunderland |
| Chase Hill Farm | Award will be used to build a new energy efficient milk room to increase production and lower energy use | $ 191,600.00 | Warwick |
| Local Tortillas LLC, dba Mi Tierra Tortillas | Award will be used to purchase an oven, mixer, feeder,
conveyor to increase production and distribution |
$ 209,780.00 | Hadley |
| Cultivating Solutions LLC dba Winter Moon Roots | Award will be used to purchase farming equipment to aid in production and storage of produce | $ 89,052.00 | Hadley |
| Ground Up LLC | Award will be used to build a shared kitchen and purchase equipment to increase production capacity | $ 463,000.00 | Hadley |
| Whistling Meadow Farm LLC | Award will be used to purchase a refrigerated truck to increase distribution | $ 170,743.00 | Deerfield |
